This book seeks to welcome as well as instigate debate between academics who operate in the various branches of tourism, and especially those who operate in the area of Cruise Tourism.

The intention of this book is not to be a manual about cruises, nor to comment on how to operate these voyages. The idea is to bring together various specialists in different areas of the study of tourism, opening the debate to the area of Cruise Tourism and enlarging the perspective of the themes and the possibilities that this book holds.

The cruise tourism market has grown and changed over the years. What used to be an area focused on a public with high purchasing power and very concentrated on specific geographic locations (like the Caribbean and the United States) is now enlarging its scope in the market. Today there are cruises designed for the most varied of wallets as well as various options in terms of duration and destination.

Voyages on cruise ships possess particularities which should be explored in academic and scientific discussions. Cruise ships in and of themselves, and not necessarily the destination of the stopovers, often represent the attraction. This, among so many other particularities, justifies further study. The context of these voyages, the relationship of the passengers with the destination, the behaviour of the consumer of these products, the relationship of the tourist with the destination, the representation of the location of the ports (and cities) of arrival and departure, the impact of the cruises on the destination, the health and safety of the travellers on ships are some of the subjects which deserve prominence.